Property Selection

Buying New Property
Property selection is an extremely important part of planting a new church or relocating an existing congregation. Your choice can often influence the success or lack of success of the church, impact the community and affect continued growth of the congregation. The selection of property should be done intelligently and purposefully, with consideration to the areas social and economic trends, stability of the neighborhood’s property values, and the physical properties of the land itself.

If you are planning to relocate, first consider the amount of land needed. It is good to have at least one usable acre for each 120 attending. (Note: Christian schools require much more land than churches.) Low-priced property may not be the best option.

Searching For Land
The starting point is to identify the community or region where you want to grow your church.  This might mean you focus on an area that is presumed to be un-churched, or perhaps it is where the majority of your current members live.  Maybe the focus is to be located near a major highway so that you can attract membership from across a large area.  Growing a new church means determining where to plant the seed.

After identifying the general location where the church should be built and raising a sizable deposit, you’re now ready to begin the search.  When searching for land – don’t limit yourself only to properties actually listed for sale.  Identify all of the properties that could work because of their size and location regardless of whether they are on the market. Remember, the earth is 72% water and the rest of it is for sale.   Once a list of properties is identified the land owner is contacted – sometimes in writing, sometimes in person.

The final decision should be made with the help of professionals, such as your architect and/or civil engineer. To build in an “undesirable” location because the land was given to the church or it appears to be “a good buy” can be very costly.  Buildings cannot be built on areas designated for setbacks, road expansion, easements, waterways, or on pour soil conditions. These conditions may not be determined until an architect or civil engineer does research on the property. 

Let me give you an example:   A church purchases 15 acres for a cost of $30,000 per acre, thinking they have gotten a deal since it was one-half the going rate for land in the area. Then after the architect examined the property, it was discovered that there were restrictions on the property that were not mentioned in the sale to the church.  These included excessive setbacks, a future road expansion, utility and landscaping easements, and a flood way, all of which resulted in only 5 acres of “usable land”. The church quickly learned that they have actually bought 5 acres at twice the going rate and 10 acres of worthless land for free.

Once a price is agreed upon, the property is placed under contract that allows for an appropriate feasibility study to be provided by your architect and civil engineer.  Just because one thinks the property will work for the church site; this is no reason to buy it, at least not yet.

What Should Your Design Team Provide In A Feasibility Study?

Zoning and local restrictions study

Phase one environmental site assessment of the property

Wetland delineation study

Perk test on the property or verification that the property will be able to access public utilities.

Concept plan showing your church will fit on the property

Preliminary concept approval with local and state land planning, zoning boards and historical commissions as applicable to the property.

What Will The Church Need To Provide To The Professional Design Team?
A Boundary Survey by a licensed land surveyor and a Title Report.  These should be supplied by the seller of the property.

Find Out The Current Zoning For The Property
What is the current zoning and can a church be built on it in the current zoning? If not, what are the requirements and possibilities for rezoning? Are there possible oppositions to the rezoning? Check to see if acceleration / deceleration lanes are required, as well as paved parking and sidewalks. These are typical property developments that might be required by the local authorities and would be the church's responsibility.

Topography Of The Land
Is the site above or below the street? Typically a church should try to sit above the street, especially on a small site (less than 10 acres) in order to be visible by the community. The property should contribute to establishing a strong visual focal point. Is the site flat or hilly? Parking requires a large amount of relatively flat area. If the site is too hilly, then a large amount of site work must be done to flatten it. This cost affects the actual cost of the land. Does the site shape hinder the usable acreage? Large triangle shaped sites and ones that are odd shaped usually reduce the usable area at a greater rate than square to rectangular sites.

Things To Consider Before Purchasing Property

Is sanitary sewer available to the site? If not, how close is it to the nearest sewer line? If it is available, will you have to pump to get to it? If sewer is close, then you may have to pay to connect to the line. If the sewer connection is not possible, have a soil test made with a soils engineer's recommendation to be sure the soils will support a septic system.

Which side of the road are the underground utilities on? It is more costly to either bore under the road or cut the pavement and patch.

What size is the nearest water line and will it serve the property? Is the nearest fire hydrant 500 feet to any location of the building (distance measured as the truck drives)? If not, a large line will have to be run into the property at the expense of the church.

Is water, electricity, natural gas and telephone currently available to the site?

Is storm water retention required or is it going to be a problem? Retention ponds are required for almost all sites in larger cities or counties. Will its placement hinder the growth or appearance of the site?

Will the property naturally drain and does other property drain across the site?

Does the site have exposed rock or was it a fill site? Removal of rock or bad fill is an expensive undertaking. Many times it is advisable to have subsurface boring made before the purchase of property to determine the type of soil and its bearing capacity. A bearing capacity of 2000 lbs per square foot should be your acceptable minimum.

Where is the nearest landfill or wastewater treatment plant? Unpleasant smells are an unwanted condition.

Consider road noise from major highway or nearby railroad tracks.

Is the area surrounding residential and will it continue to be? An area changing to office or industrial will soon no longer support continued growth.

What other local churches of similar denomination are there and will their programs and facilities overshadow your own?

Does the area match your own church demographics and is the site located near the geographic center of the congregation? Be aware of communities’ growth by checking with your chamber of commerce and planning department for growth statistics.

Can you afford to build in that area to meet expected curb appeal? The building and site must reflect the affluence of the people that live nearby. Otherwise the church is unattractive and might not be attended.

The entrance to the property should be apparent from the major traffic way. Does the speed and density of traffic at the entrance allow for access and egress? 

Have an attorney check for a clear title to the property. The seller should provide a property survey with all easement and restrictions indicated.

Is fire protection available for this location?

After making a selection, but before purchasing the property, use the above questions to verify as a partial safeguard against a bad purchase.  Pray about the important step you are about to take to be sure God has lead the church to this location.